Cortana Makes Her Way to Windows 9

After launching Cortana earlier this year for mobile, Microsoft now plans to integrate the feature into Windows 9.

Microsoft’s Windows event in San Francisco on September 30 will be centered on the release of Windows 9. And one of the more important new features of the update is the addition of Cortana, which functions similarly to Siri for iOS users, to the operating system.

Where does the name Cortana come from? Microsoft explains that Cortana was originally the Artificial Intelligence built into the video game series Halo.

What Is the User Experience for Cortana?

You can think of Cortana as a digital assistant. Users have the option of typing or asking a question or phrase verbally. It appears that the app will take up roughly 25 percent of the display.

Without many facts surrounding the launch, there is some speculation about how Cortana will co-exist with Bing and what that integration would look like.

But news of the desktop integration shows that Microsoft has recognized that in order to keep up with the mobile, on-the-go users of today, they have to provide a more “mobile”-type experience on desktops as well.

When your audience is used to quick app-like access on their phones or tablets, it’s important to recognize the opportunity to integrate that experience elsewhere.

Neowin has been reporting on Cortana for quite some time and shared the following for users who may be worried about bugs and glitches with the new release:

“The cool thing about Cortana is that since Microsoft is updating her functionality so frequently, those features are also included in the desktop version as well. Microsoft has already said that Cortana will be updated at least twice a month which means that by the time Threshold launches, Cortana will be significantly more robust than today.”